A Magical Place
by PurplePlatypusBear21
Summary: After receiving a troubling ultimatum, Zuko flees to Ember Island to clear his head. However, an unexpected run-in with a certain someone from his past makes things slightly more complicated for the brooding Fire Lord. Meanwhile, Sokka and Azula are left alone to work out some confusing feelings. Written for the AWW Summer Love Event 2018. Jetko. Sokkla.
1. Agape (Unconditional Love)

**Chapter 1: Agape (Unconditional Love)**

"Where do you think you're going?"

Startled from the sudden disruption, Sokka dropped a pair of pants on the floor and shot his eyes up at the princess in the doorway. He couldn't tell if she was annoyed or curious.

Zuko kept on packing. "None of your business."

"As chief political adviser to the Fire Lord, it is _indeed_ my business to know when the leader of our great nation is about to abscond somewhere without a moment's notice."

Clear that Azula was in fact annoyed, the blue-eyed warrior looked down at his messily packed bag.

"So let me repeat the question." Her tone harshened as she punched out each word. "Where do you think you're going?"

"That's a great question actually," Sokka squeaked, trying to lighten the mood. "Where _are_ we going, buddy?"

"Ember Island," the Fire Lord grunted after a brief pause.

"And for how long exactly do you intend to be gone?"

"Just three days, geesh! What's with the third degree?"

Azula could see her brother was a bit unhinged.

He sighed dramatically. "I just need to get out of here, okay?"

"Okay," she acquiesced. "But… I'm coming with you."

"What? Why?" he groaned, blatantly dissatisfied with the decision. "Why do you even want to go?"

"I could use a break too, you know. And besides…" She crossed her arms and smirked. "It'll give me a good excuse to try out that new swimsuit I bought."

"A new swimsuit, you say?" Sokka grinned, intrigued. He turned to Zuko. "She makes a compelling argument."

Azula rolled her eyes.

The Fire Lord scowled. "Fine. You can come. Just… stay out of my way."

"That won't be a problem," she hummed, walking away to go pack, wondering what had happened to make her brother even moodier than usual.

* * *

The answer, as it turned out, was Mai.

Zuko didn't fill them in on all the details on the short ride over to Ember Island, but from what Azula and Sokka could gather in between incoherent mumbles and melodramatic sighs, Mai had stopped by the palace earlier that day to give Zuko some sort of ultimatum. And he only had three days to decide if he was going to commit himself to her or lose her forever.

Azula, under the firm belief that Mai would one day be her brother's Fire Lady, couldn't quite comprehend Zuko's dilemma. And Sokka, dealing with his own heartache from Suki leaving him and running away with Ty Lee to Kyoshi Island for some sort of sexy lesbian vacation, was having a little trouble empathizing. Nevertheless, the two decided to make their best efforts to appease the troubled Fire Lord.

"Why don't you head straight to the beach, Zuzu?" the princess offered upon arrival. "Sokka and I can take care of unloading and unpacking our belongings."

"Thanks, sis." The Fire Lord jumped on the suggestion and began dragging his feet to the shore.

"And by 'Sokka and I', I really mean just Sokka," she smirked at the warrior.

"Well in that case… let me start with the heaviest item." He faked like he was going over to pick up a bag, but instead he swooped behind the firebender and picked her up.

Azula's mouth fell open. "Unhand me this _instant_ , Water boy!"

"I have a job to do, _Princess_ ," he laughed.

"How dare you call me _heavy_?! I'll have you know, I work out and train hard every single – "

Her voice trailed off as Zuko got closer to the shoreline. Under normal circumstances, he would have been perturbed by his best friend's flirtation with his sister. He hadn't failed to notice how much attention Sokka had given Azula ever since Suki left. But on this particular night, the Fire Lord only had one thing on his mind. Mai.

 _You have three days to decide._

What was he going to do? He mentally prayed to the spirits for guidance as he plunked himself down on the warm sand. Rubbing his temples, he released an exasperated sigh before falling flat onto his back. What happened next made his blood freeze and his arm hairs stand on end.

"I'd recognize that sigh anywhere," a man's voice called from behind.

Zuko shot straight up. He _knew_ that voice. _But that was impossible!_

A bronze-skinned boy sat down next to him. "Relax," he chuckled. "You look as if you've seen a ghost."

He opened his mouth to speak, to utter the name of the boy beside him, but no words came out.

"Miss me?" Jet smirked.

"I thought you were dead," the firebender whispered.

"Yeah, I get that a lot."

"What… what are you doing here?"

"It's kind of a long story – don't really feel like getting into all of it – but basically, after you got me arrested in Ba Sing Se, the Dai Li brainwashed me and Long Feng tried to – "

"Yeah yeah, I've seen the Ember Island Players' horrendous adaption," Zuko cut in, "I meant, what are you doing _here_ , specifically."

"Oh," Jet chuckled. "You were never one for small talk."

"Sorry… I wasn't really prepared for company tonight. Especially – "

"From someone so handsome?" the brown-eyed boy finished for him.

Caught off guard, Zuko abruptly swallowed, choking a bit on his own saliva.

Jet laughed. "To answer your question, after I was almost killed, I was in no condition to fight. Almost all my bones were broken. My Freedom Fighters had me transported to a hospital in the Lower Ring, where I spent my days feeling absolutely useless, wanting so badly to fight with the Avatar and his friends against your father."

"I'm sure you wanted to fight me too…"

"Oh yeah, big time. Thinking about kicking your sorry ass got me through a lot of the harder days."

The Fire Lord chuckled. "Guess I kind of deserve that."

Jet nodded. "Anyway, after I was stable enough to move, I was transferred to a healing facility in the Northern Water Tribe for some intense physical therapy, as well as some healing sessions for my – " He pointed to his head. " – since, you know, the brainwashing and all."

"Sorry about that…"

"No need to apologize." Jet placed his hand on the firebender's shoulder. "I forgive you."

Zuko looked perplexed. "Y-You do?"

"Yeah. I heard all about your decision to abandon the Fire Nation and teach the Avatar firebending. The war wouldn't have ended without you, and since you've become Fire Lord, you've actually done a lot of good. Surprisingly enough."

"I… I don't know what to say."

"Don't get me wrong – I was pretty damn pissed when I found out who you _really_ were, _Lee_ – "

The firebender looked down at his lap.

" – but, as I said when we first met all those years ago, I knew exactly who you were. You're an outcast, like me."

"And us outcasts have to stick together," Zuko recited, playing back the night he first met Jet on the ferry to Ba Sing Se. His cheeks flushed, realizing he had said that out loud.

"So you do remember?" he smirked.

"Of course I do."

Jet smiled softly. "Anyway… I guess what I was really trying to say here is, I _still_ know exactly who you are. And I understand why you did what you did back then."

The Fire Lord gazed warmly into the boy's eyes. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. This was all so surreal.

"I was given a second chance at life. I've let go of all that anger and resentment toward the Fire Nation. And now that I've completely recovered, I'm taking the time to see the world – "

"Which is why you're here right now."

"It seems fate has brought us together once again," he grinned.

Zuko hadn't realized how physically _close_ together they were sitting until this moment. He could feel his heartrate spike.

"I've… thought a lot about you, Zuko."

"Y-You have?"

"Don't act so surprised."

"I – "

"I'm sure you've thought about me too," he purred, confidently draping his arm around the firebender. "Especially after that one night when we – "

"That was a long time ago."

"But you still think about it, don't you?" Jet asked, all-knowingly.

That cocky bastard. Tonight wasn't the night for games. Maybe it was because of the ultimatum, or maybe because he refused to let the boy get under his skin again, but this night, Zuko was going to control his own destiny. "All the time," he muttered before closing the gap between them and gently pressing his lips to Jet's. He tasted just like how he had remembered.


	2. Phileo (Platonic Love)

**Chapter 2: Phileo (Platonic Love)**

"So let me get this straight… Jet's _alive_?!"

" _That's_ what you've managed to take away from all of this?!" Zuko shouted with a biting, incredulous tone.

"Just let me have a moment to be surprised, okay?" Sokka lowered his voice. "It's kind of a lot to take in."

"Tell me about it."

Following a long silence, the warrior sighed. "Okay. So. You made out with Jet and then you ran away and now you don't know what to do."

"I'm so confused." The firebender flopped down on his friend's bed, staring at the overhead canopy.

"About being gay?"

"Not just that! A-And I'm not _gay_ – "

"Hey, hey. No judgment here, but making out with another dude is pretty gay."

"Yeah, well…" Even Zuko had to admit his friend had a point. "What about Mai?"

"What about her?"

"I _love_ her, Sokka! Or, at least I thought I did. She's… She's the only girl I've ever loved. And I always thought we'd end up together. I knew when she broke up with Kei Lo it was only a matter of time before – "

"She'd give you an ultimatum?" Sokka finished.

"Well that's exactly it! I couldn't wait for us to get back together, but then we she finally confessed her feelings for me and gave me this ultimatum with all these terms and conditions, it just… didn't feel right anymore."

He raised an eyebrow. "What kinds of 'terms and conditions'?"

"Oh, you know, just typical boyfriend, girlfriend stuff like 'never break up with me again', 'never hide anything from me', 'take me out on a date at least once a week', 'don't touch me while I'm asleep', normal stuff like that."

"Ummm, Zuko? That's not exactly 'normal stuff'."

"Oh, excuse me, normal _Mai_ stuff."

"I see…"

"You're judging me."

"Yeah, a bit. Sorry." The warrior crossed from his luggage over to his bed, where he took a seat on the foot of the mattress. "Mai's great and all, but… does she make you happy?"

"I'm never happy."

"Right, of course. Let me rephrase." He paused. "When you're with her, are you any less unhappy?"

"Well, yeah," the firebender shrugged nonchalantly.

"Okay. That's good. Now let me ask you this…" The corner of Sokka's lip curled the slightest amount. "How do you feel when you're with Jet?"

"I – well – uhhhh… you see, t-that's a tough – we haven't really – I-I don't know – "

"It's okay," Sokka laughed. "No response necessary. That stupid grin on your face says it all."

"I'm grinning?!" Zuko's hands jumped to his mouth. "Damn it."

"I think you've just found your answer."

"No." He shook his head, his face falling. "Jet isn't an option. Sokka, I'm the _Fire Lord_. What would people say?"

"Who cares?"

"I do."

"Well you know who would probably be able to help you most with your public image?" The warrior lowered his head toward his brooding friend. "Your chief political adviser."

"Tch, Azula?" the firebender brushed off. "No way. I can only imagine what she'd have to say." He squinted his eyes and tilted his head. "I think I can actually hear her laughing at me right now."

"Oh, no," Sokka chuckled. "That wasn't her – I just farted. A few times. Well, it was really more of one of those bubbly kinds, you know what I'm talking about – "

"I told you to lay off the fire flakes."

"Live and learn," he shrugged. "Anyway, in all seriousness, I think you'd be surprised with how open-minded Azula can be."

"This is my _sister_ we're talking about, right? The control freak? She's anything but – Spirits Sokka, that smells awful." He scrunched his face with disgust.

"Sorry." He grinned innocently.

"You really think _she's_ open-minded?"

"Yeah! Open-minded, smart, funny, talented, beautiful – "

"Ehhhh…" Zuko hadn't been blind to the amount of time the two had spent together during his friend's stay at the palace. He just never realized exactly how close they had gotten in the short period of time. Though he probably should have realized something was up after they started sparring together.

" – witty, good at everything she does, strong, ambitious, self-reliant, did I mention beautiful?"

"I'm gonna stop you there, buddy." He sat up. "You _like_ my _sister_?!"

"Is it that obvious?" he asked dryly.

The Fire Lord glowered at him.

"Yeah, I like her." He laughed. "I didn't see it coming either. But, she _is_ your sister and you _are_ my best friend, so if you want me stop, just say the word and I'll leave her alone forever, I'll – "

"Sokka," he interrupted. "Of course I approve – you're my best friend! She'd be lucky to have someone like you."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, you're the best!" He threw his arms around the firebender and gave him a big hug. "So… do you think she _likes_ me?"

"I have no idea – we don't really talk about those sorts of things…"

The warrior frowned.

"Do _you_ think she likes you?"

"Sometimes. But she's been so hot and cold with me, it's really hard to tell."

"Women," Zuko scoffed.

"Well, in your case, _men_."

"Yeah," he laughed. "Guess so."

"Speaking of…" A naughty grin spread across Sokka's cheeks.

"Oh no."

"Have you ever thought about _me_ in that way?"

"What do you mean…?"

"You know… like the way you think about Jet?" He batted his lashes over his sea blue eyes.

"Are you _serious_?!"

"What?" he laughed. " _I'm_ a good-looking guy. _You're_ a good-looking guy who likes to make out with other good-looking guys…"

"Sokka, _no_! You're my best friend for crying out – "

"Oh, come on. I've _never_ crossed your mind? Not even _once_?"

"I don't – "

"Not even on the way to the Boiling Rock?! Not even when you went to the Southern Water Tribe and you were _so_ cold and _'needed'_ to snuggle up – "

Without knocking, Azula came barging through the door.

For once, Zuko was thankful for the disturbance.

"Well?"

Sokka's jaw dropped at the sight of her.

She smiled, placing her hand on her hip to show off her new swimsuit. "What do you think?"


	3. Storge (Family Love)

**Chapter 3: Storge (Family Love)**

"Oh," Azula said, letting her arm drop by her side. "Zuzu. I didn't know you were here."

Realizing this meant the princess had expected to find him alone in his bedroom, a sly, hopeful grin crept across Sokka's cheeks.

Zuko threw his legs over the side of the mattress. "Sorry to disappoint."

"Not at all."

The warrior's face fell.

"What are you doing back from the beach so early? Too cold?" she teased.

"I – uhhh, sort of ran into someone I know."

"Chan?" she questioned, irritated. "Please tell me it wasn't Chan."

"Who's Chan?" Sokka asked.

"No one," the Fire Lord answered. "And no, it wasn't him."

"Anybody I know?"

"No." He cast his eyes down and away from her.

The warrior nudged his friend in the ribcage with his elbow.

"Stop it," Zuko muttered.

" _Tell_ her," the warrior whispered.

" _No_."

"She'll understand."

"No, Sokka," the Fire Lord barked.

Azula crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "Tell me what?" Her tone made it clear the phrase was more of a demand than a question.

" _Nothing_."

"Zuko's been meaning to talk to you about something," Sokka blurted, "Something important."

Zuko growled.

She turned to face the firebender, concerned. "What's going on, brother? Is everything okay?"

The warrior gave his friend an encouraging nod.

Finally, the Fire Lord rolled his eyes and sighed theatrically. "Fine. I'll tell her." He looked up at his sister. "Would you mind if we spoke privately for a bit?"

"Of course not," she replied. "But let's go to my room." She turned to Sokka and wrinkled her nose. "And open a window, will you? It smells like something died in here."

* * *

"I hope you don't mind if I multitask while we speak," Azula said, applying some ruby red lipstick as she sat in front of her mirror.

"That's fine," Zuko murmured, plunking himself down on his sister's bed.

"So. Who was this person you ran into by the shore who's gotten you all worked up?"

"Someone from my past… while I was banished."

She waited for him to elaborate.

"We met on a ferry to Ba Sing Se and just sort of… connected. He – " The Fire Lord faked a cough. "This person really seemed to understand me, more than anyone else ever has. I'd never felt so comfortable with anybody before, and… well… one thing sort of led to the next and one night we… kissed."

"I see." The princess was surprised to learn her brother had had a romantic experience with someone other than Mai. "And seeing her again… did it stir up any lingering… feelings?"

"Azula, I – I thought this person was _dead_ , died during the war. I never thought…"

"You'd see her again," she finished, rouging her cheeks with a little powder. "How fortuitous then to run into her on _Ember Island_ of all places while you're trying to figure out what to do about Mai."

"Yeah," he sighed. "But here's the catch…" He paused, not quite sure how to get the words out. "It's not exactly a _her_. It's more of a… _him_."

Azula was just about to reach for her eyeliner but stopped. She fell quiet. Her jaw tensed and her brow furrowed.

"You're angry. I knew it." He stood from her bed and began walking to the door. "I knew this was a mistake – "

"Zuko, stop."

Her voice made him freeze.

"You're right. I _am_ angry." She took a deep breath. "But only because I can't believe _you_ kissed a boy before _I_ did!" She smiled softly, trying not to laugh. "That's so unfair."

"Really?" he chuckled, deeply relieved. "So… you're okay with me having feelings for another guy?"

"Of _course_ I'm okay with it." She stood up from her chair and walked closer to him. "Zuzu, _you_ gave me a second chance after the war. _You_ accepted me back into this family when no one else would. I don't know what would have become of me if it weren't for you. The _least_ I can do is accept you too. You're my _brother_. And I'll always have your back."

"I – " He felt a bit choked up. "This wasn't the reaction I'd expected."

"Then you're really not going to expect _this_." She threw her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a hug.

He hugged her back, resting his head on hers. "Thank you, sis."

Having never really hugged him before, at least in their adult years, she wasn't quite sure for how long to hold on. "This is weird," she laughed, releasing him.

"Yeah," he laughed back.

"Let's never do this again." She gave him a teasing smile before resuming her position in front of the mirror.

He snickered.

"Now come here," she ordered, holding up her hairbrush, "and help style my hair for tonight."

"But – "

"And _no_ , I'm not asking because you're into guys or whatever. You've always done it best."

Zuko released a soft sigh. It was true. In their youth, little Zuzu had been quite the hairdresser. "Fine." He walked behind her and took the brush from her hand.

"Thanks, Zuzu," she hummed.

He pulled the wooden pin holding her topknot and watched her hair cascade down her back in dark, silky sheets. Gently, he began brushing the long, straight strands.

"Why do I get the sense you're still feeling anxious, brother? I thought you'd be relieved to have all that weight off your chest."

"I am, but… I'm worried about what other people would think, what _my_ nation would think if – "

"If you're worried about that insipid anti-same-sex marriage law our great-grandfather Sozin mandated, we can easily overturn – "

"That's not what I'm – "

"You know why he outlawed it in the first place, right?"

The Fire Lord shook his head.

Azula lowered her voice. "Rumor has it, the late Fire Lord Sozin had some serious crush on his childhood best friend…" She smirked. "…Avatar Roku."

"No way…"

"And these feelings were not reciprocated. In a fit of jealous rage, he decided to have all same-sex relationships criminalized."

Zuko was silent.

"Now these are just rumors of course," she shrugged, "but you never know."

"It's weird to think about one of our great-grandfathers crushing on another of our great-grandfathers…"

The princess nodded.

"…but that's actually not what I wanted to discuss."

"Oh?"

He started to pull her hair into an updo but then decided to leave half of it down. "Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself, but, if Jet and I were to somehow end up together, the Fire Nation would still expect me to produce an heir. A blood heir."

"Jet," she repeated. "Nice name."

"Nice face too," he chuckled.

She smiled. "Well, you could always get a surrogate. I know Mai _says_ she's going to leave you forever if you don't choose her, but I've seen firsthand how much she cares about you. It wouldn't be out of the question for you to ask – "

"I – maybe." He finished styling her hair, securing it with a decorative pin. "And I guess… there's always _you_."

"Me?"

"If you had a child and I didn't, he or she would be a blood heir and could inherit the throne."

Azula laughed dismissively, reaching for her eyeliner. "This is all presuming I'd find someone mad enough to marry me."

"What makes you say that?" he asked, placing his hands on her shoulders.

"Oh please, Zuzu. I know what people still say about me behind my back. That I'm the _'crazy'_ princess."

"Azula…"

"And after everything I've done during the war, I doubt… well… I doubt anybody would want to – "

"What about Sokka?"

Suspicious, she narrowed her eyes in the mirror at him. "Did he say something?"

"Uhhh…" He wasn't sure whether or not he should divulge his friend's secret, but ultimately decided it would be better for her to hear about Sokka's true feelings directly from the source. "…no, it's just that you two have been spending a lot of time together lately."

She finished applying her cat-like makeup on her right eye and moved to the left. "I enjoy his company."

"And that's _it_?" he pried. " _Nothing_ more is going on?"

Seemingly satisfied with her evening appearance, she stood from the chair and faced her brother. "I don't want to talk about Sokka right now."

"Why not?"

"Because. You shouldn't be standing here wasting any more time with _me_ when you could be out there spending time with your lover boy. Jet."

"Really?" His face lit up.

"Get out of here already," she smiled.

"Thanks, Azula!" He ran toward the door but stopped in the entryway and faced her. "By the way, you look beautiful."

She grinned. "I know."


	4. Eros (Romantic Love)

**Chapter 4: Eros (Romantic Love)**

"Have things changed since the last time you were here?" Sokka asked Azula as the pair walked down the crowded sandy aisles of the arcade. Considering the sun had already set, the warrior was surprised to find so many people out and about. He had hoped for some alone time with the princess, but it seemed he was out of luck.

"Well, the arcade has certainly _expanded_. That's for sure."

He got the impression she wasn't referring to any new games or attractions, but rather the unsightly rotund person slobbering away at an ice cream cone in their direct line of sight. Admiring her cruel, twisted sense of humor, he snickered.

Out of nowhere, a scrawny teenage boy jumped up in front of them to catch a ball his friend tossed him, accidentally shoulder-checking the firebender in the process. "Sorry!" he shouted half-heartedly, continuing to run through the crowd with his friend.

Azula turned her head and shot them a death glare.

"Are you okay?" Sokka asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she muttered, rubbing her sore shoulder. "I didn't realize Ember Island would become so _touristy_ after the war."

He chuckled. "Nothing wrong with a little mixing of cultures, now is there?"

"No," she shrugged, "I suppose not."

This made him smile. "Anyway, those boys were pretty rude – I'm surprised you didn't firebend at them. Don't they know who you are?"

"No." She grinned. "That's the beauty of Ember Island. No one knows who I am."

"And that's a good thing? I thought you liked the royal treatment."

"I do, but… sometimes I don't want to be treated like a princess. Here I can be anybody. Or nobody."

The sullen tone of her voice with those last two words was alarming. The warrior hoped she'd continue her thought, but much to his chagrin, something else caught her attention.

"Ooh, look!" She ran over to one of the games. "Street Bender!"

"What's that?"

"It's a fighting game. I used to play it all the time." Her eyes lit up. "Tomorrow, we _have_ to play it! You, me, Zuzu, and Jet, presuming my brother hasn't already blown his chance."

He found her excitement endearing. "Why tomorrow when the two of us could play right now?"

"Because tonight, I'd like to hit up a party."

"Yeah? I didn't realize you were a crazy party animal."

"I'm not." She continued to walk through the arcade. "But sometimes it's fun to just… cut loose, you know?"

"Yeah – "

"Would you like to come with me?"

His stomach summersaulted. "Like… as a – "

"Who knows, maybe you'll meet someone."

"I-Is that what you plan on doing?!" he panicked.

"Mmhmm." She smirked. "If I'm lucky."

Just as soon as he got his hopes up, they fell. Hard.

* * *

The young adults at the beach party sort of reminded Sokka of Chong and the other free-spirited nomads he met on the way to Omashu. Except drunker. Much drunker.

Around the perimeter, people were banging on drums, blowing into flutes, strumming pipas, creating a whirlwind of rhythm and sound. In the center, others danced like there was no tomorrow.

The warrior had never seen people dance quite like _that_ before. It was like the music was flowing through their veins, taking control of their movements. Much to his surprise, Azula jumped right in. He knew she wanted to cut loose, but he hadn't expected her to abandon all inhibition just like that. It was astonishing. He couldn't take his eyes off her. How was he going to work up the nerve to join in and dance with her?

It didn't take long before the princess started receiving male attention. She was soon swarmed by a sea of men, all vying to be noticed.

Though he was being a bit of a wallflower, several girls approached Sokka as well. He tried to be polite, but he wasn't really listening to any of them. Not with his sight on Azula. He watched a handsome stranger take the firebender's hand and spin her around before pulling her closer to him. That was the final straw. He pardoned himself from the ladies and danced his way over to the princess.

Azula felt a warm hand on her hipbone and the sultry motion of someone swaying his hips behind her. She liked what she was feeling. This stranger seemed intuitively attuned to her every movement. A fire stirred within. She didn't even realize the other man with whom she was dancing had given up and moved on to someone else.

Sokka spun her around and wrapped his arms around her lower back, continuing to sway his hips to the music.

Instinctively draping her arms around his neck, she finally became face-to-face with the suave stranger. She smirked up at him in the moonlight. "Green is not a flattering color on you."

So she could tell he was jealous. "Who are you kidding? I look great in everything." He smirked back at her.

"Those other ladies didn't pique your interest?"

"Not at all. Not when there's only one girl on my mind…"

"You're trouble," she whispered.

"Indeed I am," he growled, pulling her flush against his chest. "And tonight… you can bet I'm not going to treat you like a princess."

Her heart was _pounding_. She had always been attracted to the wolf-tailed warrior, but tonight, he was really something else. "And what do you intend to do with me that you would not do with a princess?"

He grazed his lips against her ear and whispered, " _This_." Then he picked her up bridal style and started carrying her toward the shore.

"Sokka! Sokka, don't you _dare_!" she laughed, almost giggling.

He kept on walking while she pleaded for him to stop until he was waist deep in the ocean.

"MAY THE SPIRITS HAVE MERCY ON YOU IF YOU – "

He threw her into the water.

"SOKKA!" she shouted, treading water, "You SAVAGE! It's absolutely _frigid_!"

"It is not," he laughed, swimming up next to her. "It's like bath water! All you Fire Nation folk are spoiled."

"Well, _I'm_ freezing."

"Oh yeah?"

"Feel my hands."

He took her hands in his and the world around him disappeared. "Wow. You _are_ cold." He moved a little closer to her. "I'd better keep you warm then." He pulled her close to him, placing his hands on her hips, gazing into her bright yellow eyes.

She stared back up at him, her heart beating out of control.

Bringing one hand up to her neck, he brushed her soft skin with his thumb to the underside of her chin. He closed his eyes and leaned in to kiss her lips, but he stopped when he felt her turn her head to the side at the last second.

"Sokka," she breathed, pulling away from him with sadness in her eyes.

His chest ached. "I-I'm sorry. I must have misread – "

"No. You didn't. I… I just don't think this is a good idea."

"Why not?"

"Because…" She sighed languidly. "You wouldn't understand."

"I wouldn't understand or you don't want to tell me?" He was getting irritated. They had been flirting nonstop for weeks. Had she just been toying with him this whole time?

"It's _complicated_ , I'm – "

"You think you're too good for me, don't you?"

"N-No, it's not like – "

"Because you're royalty and I come from nothing. That's it, isn't it?"

"Sokka, stop it!" she cried, "It's nothing like that!"

"Then what is it?!"

"Ugh!" she exhaled. "I don't want to be your _rebound_ , okay?!"

He was taken aback.

"Look, I've… only ever kissed one boy before. Here actually. Chan."

He recalled the name.

"And he literally ran away from me immediately afterward – "

"Well, _I_ wouldn't – "

"No. Maybe you wouldn't leave right now, or tonight, or tomorrow, or even next week, but… someday you would leave me. And… I _really_ like you, Sokka. But I can't stand the thought of getting hurt again."

"What makes you say I'd leave?"

"Because your 'feelings' for me aren't _real_!"

He opened his mouth to interject, but she stopped him.

"You were with Suki for _years_! You have all that history together. All those memories. I don't know much about relationships, or love at all for that matter, but I'd like to think that all those feelings can't just disappear in the matter of weeks. Sokka, you two just broke up not even a month ago!"

"I know it's soon, but I promise you, what I feel for you is without a doubt real. You're _all_ I ever think about. And… I know Suki and I only broke up recently, but our relationship has been over for a long time. Maybe even years. We were trying to hold onto something that wasn't there. I moved on from her a while ago."

"Really?" she whispered.

"Yeah, but beyond any of that, Azula, _you_ could never be anyone's rebound. You're the most incredible girl I've ever met. You drive me absolutely insane, and even though we've been spending a lot of time together, I… I just want to be around you all the time, I – "

She cut him off by throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him passionately.

He deepened the kiss, slipping his tongue into her eager mouth.

She had chosen to believe his words, to take a leap of faith and give into the feelings she had fought so hard to suppress. Maybe one day she'd regret it, but tonight, he was hers and she was his, and that was all that mattered.

Her hips were pressed right up against his, and he could feel them pushing toward him ever so slightly as her hunger grew. Spirits, kissing her like this was hot. Sparks were flying every which way. Before his excitement got out of hand, he broke the kiss. "Hey, Azula," he panted.

"Mm?" she grinned.

"Why don't we take this somewhere a little more private?"

She bit her lip and nodded.

* * *

"Azula…" Zuko greeted uncomfortably, stepping out of his bedroom the following morning. With his hair all disheveled and no shirt to conceal the marks and bruises on his chest, there was no hiding what had gone down last night. Why did he have to leave his room at the exact same time as his sister?! From the looks of it, she appeared to be in a similar state of disorder.

"Good morning, Zuzu." She flashed him an awkward smile as she attempted to straighten out her loosely tied sleep robe.

"You're, uh, up later than usual."

"Yeah…" She shifted her eyes. "I must be on vacation time."

"Right." He shuffled his feet, trying hard not to stare at the hickey on her neck. "Well… I was just about to make some breakfast – "

"And I was just about to take a shower – "

Sokka chose that exact moment to come out of Azula's room with nothing but a towel tied around his waist. He went to wrap his arms around the princess but stopped when he saw Zuko. "Hey there, buddy…"

"Hey…"

"You look… like you didn't sleep much last night." He grinned.

"Yeah… you too." The Fire Lord was torn between giving his friend a high-five and punching him in the face. "Well, I won't keep you two from your shower…"

Azula blushed.

Just then, Jet stepped out of Zuko's room, also shirtless. "Oh. Hey, everyone." He turned to the blue-eyed warrior. "Sokka, it's been a while…"

"Yeah, it's uh… good to see you're alive."

"You too, I guess."

"It's nice to meet you, Jet," Azula said, extending her hand toward the Earth Kingdom rebel.

He took her hand and placed the back of it to his lips. "It's a pleasure."

"Really?" Zuko questioned with a disapproving tone.

"What?" Jet asked defensively. "It's not every day you get to meet a royal princess."

"Zuzu, I must say," Azula smirked with rouged cheeks, looking at Jet and back at her brother, "you've done quite well for yourself."

"Thanks," he replied dryly at the backhanded compliment.

Sokka, feeling a bit possessive, put his arm around the princess.

"So, um…" The Fire Lord scratched the back of his head. "Are you two, like, a couple now?"

Azula smiled warmly up at Sokka. "Well, we talked about it last night, and… yes. We decided to give the whole boyfriend, girlfriend thing a shot."

The warrior leaned down and kissed the firebender on the top of her head.

"That's great! I'm happy for you two, though… I'm gonna need some time to get used to it."

"And what about you two?" the princess asked, looking at her brother and Jet.

"We too _talked_ last night – "

Jet smirked mischievously.

" – but we've decided to take things slow. For now. We're just getting reacquainted and don't want to rush into anything quite yet."

"But we'll see where things go," Jet purred, wrapping his arms around Zuko's waist from behind.

"I think that's wonderful," Azula beamed.

"And now you have you answer for Mai," Sokka added.

"Yeah." Zuko nodded with a smile on his face, interlacing his fingers with Jet's. "Yes I do."

So it seemed Ember Island had worked its magic once again. Azula allowed herself to be vulnerable and accept love into her life, Sokka finally got the girl of his dreams, Jet found a stable relationship for once in his life, and Zuko became confident in his decision to move on from Mai. And all of these ragged edges had been smoothed within a day of arrival, leaving the four friends two more days to enjoy each other's company in the summer sun.


End file.
